French economy minister to talk to TotalEnergies and Engie

The major has failed to go as far as European IOC peers

The French economy ministry accepts that “there is now a problem of principle in working with any political or economic figure close to Russian power", minister Bruno Le Maire told French TV on Tuesday morning. And he promised he would be “discussing” engagement with the Putin regime with senior management at TotalEnergies and utility Engie. The government response comes as TotalEnergies issued a statement regarding its Russian activities that fell far short of matching peers such as BP, Shell and Norway’s Equinor, which have all promised an exit from the country. The French major is thus far committing only to no longer providing capital for new projects in Russia. “TotalEnergies supports t